Hello - About 18 months ago I installed new semi-custom cabinets in my kitchen. Just yesterday I noticed that the rings of the cherry are starting to turn very black. Even worse, blackish blemishes have formed on a couple of the cabinets, approximately 2" by 1/2" long. To the touch, it's indented and raw (no finish). It's almost as if someone took a low level blow torch to my cabinets.

I am currently having work done in the rest of my apartment. The kitchen has been sealed off (sort of) with plastic. Approximately 3 weeks ago, my contractor used a very harsh chemical (impossible to stand in the apartment for more than a minute) to strip moldings. I don't know if these blemishes formed right afterwards because I have not been staying there during the renovation. However, I do know that they appeared somewhat suddenly. I am wondering if the chemicals caused this problem, or if this is the natural evolution of the wood? I find it unlikely this is natural - I knew the cherry would deepen to a darker red - but I have never heard of black pock marks forming.

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this topic, and provide any suggestions how to a address this issue. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

It is true that cherry wood would darken as the years come... for that is the charm of cherry wood... just beautiful... I wished you had placed a picture of the events toward your wood...

The question: Had the professional over bleached the woods?. if he/she had perform this service toward your wood... this services will cause some tonal dissimilarities... you have a high maintence product and desires the attention... sun light can cause problems to this wood so there is a need to keep it clean... using soap for wood and a restoring wood product for wood and use these products at least twice a year... but, before you move forward check out the websites I suggested... collect the information... and have this professional to re-do the work for cost or have someone else do the work and ask the court to give you some attention towards this matter... for that professional should have liability insurance or bond insurance to handle such situation... which is required in some states...

The discoloration technical information:

http://www.intota.com/viewbio.asp?bi...2740&show=Full
http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/CMTI/Techn.../Swiss2000.htm
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/a.../shellac2.shtm
http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/woodbleach.shtml


“... Lightening Wood
Removing the natural color of wood is best done with the two-part peroxide bleaches. These are available as "A/B" bleaches sold in most paint and hardware stores. The most common way to apply this product is to wet the wood thoroughly with part A (sodium hydroxide) then immediately apply part B (hydrogen peroxide). It's important that part A not sit too long before applying part B because sodium hydroxide will darken some tannin-rich woods like cherry and oak. You can also mix the two parts together and apply them at the same time, as long as you do it as quickly as possible after the two parts are mixed. Usually one application is all that's necessary, but another application may be needed to even out the bleaching effect. Some dark woods, like ebony, are not affected by this bleach which is an advantage if you want to bleach a wood that has ebony stringing. On some woods, particularly walnut, a greenish tinge may appear in some areas if the bleach is not applied evenly. To alleviate this problem, try to apply the bleach evenly and sparingly, just enough to make the wood wet. Do not flood the wood with bleach. Neutralize the alkaline effect of this bleach after the wood is dry by applying a weak acid like vinegar. Use white vinegar mixed one part vinegar to two parts water.
A/B bleach will remove all the natural color variations present in wood, so use them judiciously. Over - bleached woods will lack tonal variations and depth even if stained afterward. I use them only when matching sun-faded wood, or to provide a neutral base upon which I create a decorative finish like pickled oak or blond mahogany. When re-creating the fruitwood finish on bleached cherry explained above, I had to hand glaze selective areas during the finishing process to provide some color variation. A/B bleaches can be used to compensate for heartwood/sapwood variations, but I prefer to bring the sapwood in line with the heartwood by hand coloring or spraying the sapwood with a dye stain... ”

[QUOTE=LUNAGODDESS]
The question: Had the professional over bleached the woods?.

By the professional do you mean the original cabinet maker or the contractor? If the former, then I don't know what process what used to originally stain the cabinets. If you mean the contractor, he shouldn't have ever so much as touched the cabinets, because he was commissioned to work elsewhere in my apartment. Do you think it is the toxicity of the chemicals he used in the living room could cause this sort of finish degradation in the kitchen?

Thank you so much for your help. I hadn't thought of the insurance angle. I will definitely review the sites you kindly sent posted. Hopefully it won't come to any litigation, but my contractor is insured (just checked), if he is in fact at fault. Thanks again.